Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in China before weakening to a tropical storm, triggering mass evacuations of 2.2 million people, amid warnings of heavy rainfall across wide swathes of eastern China and the threat of flash floods and thunderstorms in the coming days.
Bebinca lashed eastern China's coast with torrential rain and fierce winds before weakening to a tropical storm by yesterday morning as it pushed inland. The typhoon came ashore with winds of 144 kilometres per hour, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, citing meteorological authorities in Zhejiang Province.
Weather experts warned that the storm — roughly the size of France — could trigger heavy rainfall across wide areas of eastern and northern China in the coming days. A Reuters tally based on data carried by state media indicated that more than 2.8 million people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival.
More than 2.2 million of those were evacuated from Zhejiang Province, a key economic and technology hub in the world's second-largest economy. No official reports of fatalities or injuries had been received as of yet. The typhoon struck the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang before making a second landfall at Yueqing, under the jurisdiction of Wenzhou city.
The eye of the typhoon passed near Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, with winds of approximately 108 kilometres per hour, according to meteorologists. Provincial officials forecast heavy rainfall in coastal areas and the possibility of flash floods, warning of disruptions to transport, river flooding and inundation of farmland. Li Liangxing, a resident of Yueqing, said: